**You must be at least 18 to play here. If you're not, please go away. If you are--come in, visit awhile. Join me in my sometimes effervescent musings as I try to make sense of this wonderful and crazy world of writing.**

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Monday, August 31, 2009

Friday, August 28, 2009

A boy comes down to breakfast. Since his family lives on a farm, his mother asks if he has done his chores.

"Not yet, Momma," said the little boy.

His mother tells him no breakfast until he does his chores. Well, he’s a little pissed, so he goes to feed the chickens, and he kicks a chicken.

He goes to feed the cows, and he kicks a cow. He goes to feed the pigs, and he kicks a pig. He goes back in for breakfast and his mother gives him a bowl of dry cereal.

"How come I don’t get any eggs and bacon? Why don’t I have any milk in my cereal?" he asks.

"Well," his mother says, "I saw you kick a chicken, so you don’t get any eggs for a week. I saw you kick the pig, so you don’t get any bacon for a week either. I also saw you kick the cow, so for a week you aren’t getting any milk."

Just then, his father comes down for breakfast and kicks the cat halfway across the kitchen. The boy looks up at his mother with a smile, and says: "Are you going to tell him, or should I?"

Thursday, August 27, 2009

I'm having a devil of a time landing on just the right name for the hero of my current work in progress. I've been calling him Tobias, which seemed all right, but with a secondary character named Dante...well, "Dante" is just more of a hero's name than "Tobias". (Plus "Tobias" is the name of the FBI guy on NCIS, and...yeah, no. Not what I have in mind for the vampire hero of my book. LOL)

I find I have a hard time moving my writing forward when I don't have a name that works. Because I don't have a good handle on the character if I don't have the right name. (In Daring the Moon, for example, Ryder actually started out as Damon Tarleton. I like Ryder Merrick much better!)

So I'm perusing my Character Naming Sourcebook last night, writing down names that I like and that sound good with the last name I've chosen (which I don't want to change). I think I've settled on one, and to explain why it's not exactly a name that would have been used (probably) in the South in around 1830 or so, the name is a family name (most likely his mother's maiden name).

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Wanna know where the real wild things are…and what they like to do there?

Belong To The Night

City Of The Dead by Sherrill Quinn

Dori Falcon is a witch with a plan: get to New Orleans, locate her missing brother, and recover the Eye of Bastet, a mysterious and powerful amulet. Her plan never included falling for sexy Cajun cop Jake Boudreau; but without his help, she may never find the demon who has her brother, and the key to her family’s survival.

The Wolf, The Witch, And Her Lack Of Wardrobe by Shelly Laurenston

Jamie Meacham has enough trouble controlling her supernatural abilities. There’s no time for lust, or for Tully Smith, even with his smoldering amber eyes. But Tully’s grappling with his own animal instincts as a powerful shifter-wolf, trying to protect all his territory—including a certain sassy witch—from vicious rivals.

In The Dark by Cynthia Eden

FBI agent and leopard shifter Sadie James’ undead ex, Liam, still arouses her deepest desires, distracting her from tracking the brutal rogue shifter who is terrorizing Miami. By teaming up with Liam, Sadie has a better chance of solving the case, but as passion consumes them, she stands to lose more than just her heart.

RECOMMENDED READ from TwoLips Reviews: "In Sherrill Quinn’s City of the Dead you meet Jake and Dori. They are two steamy lovers you have to meet, they are special and in search of a demon. When love and demon hunting combine you get chemistry off the charts!

The three stories of Belong to the Night are all very powerful compelling reads... When you want action adventure, love lost and love found you want Belong to the Night. This novel will make you want more of the creatures that go bump in the night and the mates that love them."

And the Romantic Times gives Belong to the Night 4 Stars: "Laurenston's story is humorous and has a mix of entertaining characters. Eden's and Quinn's tales are the real winners, with great character development and well thought-out paranormal aspects -- in addition to featuring second chances at love, and hot sex. Overall, this is a really great read."

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Before you let the excitement of being published carry you away, think long and hard before you sign a contract to self-publish, and know exactly what you're getting into. Self-pubbed authors have no publisher backing (i.e., no promotion at all), and many booksellers won't order copies of the books because they can't be returned under the normal system where they strip the covers and send unsold books back to the publisher for a credit. Sometimes self-publishing may be the way to go, but if you're looking to build a writing career, which includes building solid sales numbers, think twice.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Friday, August 14, 2009

If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish, and my paint job is getting a little dull. But that's not the worst of it. My headlights are out of focus, and it's especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

4 Stars from Romantic Times: "Laurenston's story is humorous and has a mix of entertaining characters. Eden's and Quinn's tales are the real winners, with great character development and well thought-out paranormal aspects--in addition to featuring second chances at love, and hot sex. Overall, this is a really great read."

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

What do I mean? Let's look at the opening paragraph in the new Nikki Heat novel, penned by a ghost author writing as Richard Castle. (This is a novel that's tied to Nathan Fillion's show, Castle--which, by the way, I really enjoy!)

It was always the same for her when she arrived to meet the body. After she unbuckled her seat belt, after she pulled a stick pen from the rubber band on the sun visor, after her long fingers brushed her hip to feel the comfort of her service piece, what she always did was pause. Not long. Just the length of a slow deep breath. That's all it took for her to remember the one thing she will never forget. Another body waited. She drew the breath. And when she could feel the raw edges of the hole that had been blown in her life, Detective Nikki Heat was ready. She opened the car door and went to work.

First, let me say I think this is a great opening paragraph. My nitpick comes in just one area. "...after her long fingers brushed her hip..."

Because we're in Nikki's point of view, personal descriptors are out of place, in my opinion. If you take this and flip it into first person, would Nikki think/say "...after my long fingers brushed my hip..."? I think she'd just think/say "...after my fingers brushed my hip..." Descriptors of Nikki would come from either another character while we're in his/her point of view or, if the entire book is in her point of view, given in another way. But, having said that, do we need to know her fingers are long?